Adding ISO boot to lilo

**kirol** · 03-29-2006, 11:53 PM

Hello, I am having no success trying to add an entry to boot directly off the KnoppiX5 DVD image I downloaded with bit-torrent. I have extracted the kernel and miniroot files but would otherwise like to boot from the ISO image directly. The download is OK, and a similar setup is actually working if I extract the two big cloop images, but the "bootfrom" cheatcode has never worked for me, so perhaps I am misusing it... hdc5 is formatted as NTFS

Code:

image=/boot/KNOPPIX_V5.0DVD-2006-02-25-DE.kernel
    initrd=/boot/KNOPPIX_V5.0DVD-2006-02-25-DE.mrt.gz
    label=knoppix5dvd
    vga=0x317
    append="ramdisk_size=100000 init=/etc/init bootfrom=/dev/hdc5/Download/ISOs/KNOPPIX_V5.0DVD-2006-02-25-DE.iso lang=en apm=power-off nomce quiet "

I suspect it's got useful information buried, but the "ISO boot from FAT/NTFS/USB (GRUB.exe, grldr from boot.ini)" thread has just grown absurdly long, sorry.

**ruymbeke** · 03-30-2006, 05:44 AM

Originally Posted by kirol

I suspect it's got useful information buried, but the "ISO boot from FAT/NTFS/USB (GRUB.exe, grldr from boot.ini)" thread has just grown absurdly long, sorry.

Hello,
If you would just have looked at the end of the thread, you would have find out that you need an alternate minirt file:
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...=101334#101334
The minirt_usb5.gz is first required to boot the iso (bootfrom cheatcode) from a ntfs partition (ntfs drivers)
and then according to other post ( http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...=101407#101407 ),
the minirt_usb5.gz also fix a linuxrc bug preventing the fromhd cheatcode to work properly in the Knoppix 5.0 release.
My 2 cents,
Gilles

**kirol** · 03-30-2006, 10:00 AM

Thank you very much Gilles, it is now working thanks to your miniroot. The same machine also had a "traditional" PMI (KNOPPIX cloop copy, not directly from ISO), which I had to rename, though. Is there a way to avoid the scanning for KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX iimages under all detected filesystems which seems to take precedence over the "bootfrom" method? Also, I am curious, does the stock knoppix never work off NTFS, but only through your corrected minirt? That'd be a worthwhile addition to the standard release, it seems!

**ruymbeke** · 03-30-2006, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by kirol

Thank you very much Gilles, it is now working thanks to your miniroot. The same machine also had a "traditional" PMI (KNOPPIX cloop copy, not directly from ISO), which I had to rename, though. Is there a way to avoid the scanning for KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX iimages under all detected filesystems which seems to take precedence over the "bootfrom" method?

Yes technically it is possible, but I always try to minimize the changes from the official linuxrc
in order to reduce the risks and simplify the upgrade from releases to releases.
This is one of the quite complicated and somewhat not that well written part of the linuxrc boot script.
Since it is not very desirable to modify the iso file to make it work,
I suggest to rename your KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX cloop file path (as you have done) and update
accordingly your kernel bootloader command line with the knoppix_dir and/or knoppix_name cheatcodes.

Originally Posted by kirol

Also, I am curious, does the stock knoppix never work off NTFS, but only through your corrected minirt? That'd be a worthwhile addition to the standard release, it seems!

So far yes and I would like to see it in the next release as well, but this is really up to Klaus.
I tried several times to propose my solution via the debian-knoppix mailing list but without success.
Nevertheless I may understand one reason for Klaus not having done it yet:
For some mysterious reasons to me, Isolinux (which is used by Knoppix to boot the cd/dvd)
doesn't look like capable to handle large minirt boot ramdisks. Reason for Knoppix to now have
a \boot\modules directrory on the cd to store the modules that cannot fit inside the minirt.
The minirt file had to grow in order to contain the ntfs driver and some other tools
for the double loopback required for the iso boot. And obviously the ntfs driver cannot be read
from the /boot/modules directory since it will require the ntfs driver to perform the ntfs read from the iso.
A complete remodeling of the linuxrc and the minirt could make sense but there is an other work around.
I couldn't remaster Knoppix with my minirt when using isolinux but it works great
when I use grub as the cd/dvd bootloader (bootloader also used by the Kanotix cd), cf:
http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...?p=99669#99669
I wish that Klaus will consider a grub boodloader for his cd/dvd and then use an improved minirt
with ntfs support and some of my other addons as custom static and dynamic hostnames (mac_adr or time), ...
Best Regards,
Gilles

**kirol** · 03-30-2006, 11:47 AM

Thanks again for taking the time to explain.

If isolinux is currently the problem, perhaps it'd be worth contacting Kano for inclusion of your mods in his superior remaster?

I have several older knoppices lying on my HD as PMI's; would you happen to know since when the knoppix_dir cheatcode is supported?

Cheers,

kirol

**ICPUG** · 04-05-2006, 06:21 PM

Kirol,

If you do a Google search for:
Cheatcodes Knoppix

you get a good selection to read.

From this you find Knoppix_dir was listed for v. 3.4 but not v. 3.3

Kano's Kanotix will already boot as a PMI from NTFS using the minirt from the CD. No need to alter as Gilles had to do to Knoppix.

ICPUG

**kirol** · 04-05-2006, 10:34 PM

Ah thanks, I am lucky then as I have 3.4, 4 and 5 lying around on my HD, and can boot them all as PMI's thanks to this "knoppix_dir" I did not know about.